The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday night what had been hinted at last spring: they will retire Pavel Bure’s No. 10 jersey and hang it next season from the rafters at Rogers Arena.

Bure joins former captains Stan Smyl Trevor Linden and Markus Naslund in the elite group that have had their jersey numbers retired. No actual date was given for the ceremony.

The groundwork for the jersey retirement was laid last April 4 when Bure made a surprise visit to Vancouver did some promotional work and then received a standing ovation later that night when he attended the Canucks’-Edmonton Oilers’ game at Rogers Arena.

“I’m just really proud and happy to be next to Stan Smyl who I just saw today. We were talking about how we started together (in 1991) me as a player and he was starting as assistant coach. It just brings lots of good memories to be next to those great guys.”

Bure played seven seasons for the Canucks was NHL rookie of the year in 1991-92 scored 60 goals twice and then 51 in his final season with the team. However his relationship with management had soured and he withheld services to start the 1998-99 campaign to back a trade demand. He still had one year left on his contract.

He was eventually dealt to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 17 1999 in a blockbuster trade that involved seven players and two draft picks.

Asked if he was surprised it took this long for the Canucks to retire his jersey Bure deftly stickhandled around the question just as he did to his many opponents on the ice.

“I’m just happy with what I have now” he replied. “I’m happy and really proud. I’m thrilled.”

Bure now 42 said his memories in Vancouver were too numerous to list when asked to name just three.

“I have great memories but it’s really hard to choose only three” he responded. “There were so many of them. My first game my first goal and obviously in 1994 when we went to the final. I can keep going and going so it would take a long time.”